Struggle putting 10 month old into cot due to being short

[Haleema93]

Hi, just wanted a bit of advice. So I have a 10 month old who is a very bad sleeper (EBF), wakes multiple times through the night, has just started standing with support so we’ve lowered the cot to the lowest setting. Re-using cot I had for my first child and doesn’t have a drop down side. I struggle getting her in the cot as she only goes down once fully asleep, and as I can just about reach in I can’t give her the softest landing. What do you think about changing the cot into a cot-bed? Obvs I’d buy the cot rails so she wouldn’t fall out.

I don't know how short you are but what about a step/stool. Maybe a DIY job of some wood incline or something. Would that be enough to help?

A step doesn’t help if you are short. Your arms aren’t long enough to reach in comfortably to pick up or put down your baby.

This was an issue with our first child. We had to take the side off and get a fold-down mesh barrier thing.

Oh, yes I see. I just thought it might give more give to bend over. How about strange as it sounds cutting a bit out cot side bar? Along the top, enough for your arms. Then your keeping the barrier there.

Have you considered a floor bed? Take the legs off and sides down, or just put a mattress on the floor.

I had the same problem with DC1 - I’m not particularly short, but when I was massively pregnant with DC2, my belly stopped me being able to lean over the side far enough to put DC1 down 😂
We took the side off and got a high, fold-down mesh bed guard.

I’m 5ft 1.. I struggled with my first child too when she was younger but she was a better sleeper so would stay asleep. My 10 month old is the lightest sleeper, wakes up every time

Had the same problem with all mine. Same height as you! Floor bed and gate on the doorway I think is the best solution...although we've ended up co sleeping from about that age and just got rid of the cot altogether 😬

Yes we converted cot to cot bed because I was short and pregnant! Just used those cot rails

I had exactly the same issue with my second child. I discovered three bars on one side of the cot popped out so I was able to slide ds into the cot through the little gap created and then replace the bars. Any chance your cot is similar? I'm just over 5ft so I feel your pain

I have complete sympathy (at a stumpy 5ft 2). If I stood on tiptoes I could just about pop my son in, but I’d have the rail squished into my armpits & there’d be an inch ‘plop’ before he hit the mattress! Fortunately that was just in his travel cot/at my Mum’s in a traditional wooden cot.

Fortunately, my then in laws bought us a cot bed that could have both a raised bed and a drop side, as well as being a toddler bed! It was only solution in the end, lasted 4 moves & my daughter 5 years later!

The travel cot was so bad I would have to let son’s dad/his other grandparents or relatives to do it, as that mattress was even lower in comparison to the height of the sides!

It was the only solution for me, but I also had major spine surgery when DS was 4 months old so my mobility didn’t allow even the drop & plop method to work.

I’ve just remembered, the large toddler bed/cot combo was so fantastic I could raise the bed to its highest position, take the side off & attach it to our bed (so no chance of it shifting in the night) which made scooping my daughter over for breastfeeding at night a breeze. Wow. That bed was the dog’s doodahs, we were so lucky it was a gift from my first in laws (they were, and still are, wonderful; my second in laws wouldn’t have given us the pickings out of their arse, and if they had it would’ve come with a contract in when to give the tagnuts back, with interest).

Get a dropside cot!

@stormelf no I don’t think that would work with mine, I’ve got the mothercare Lulworth cot.

@CentrifugalBumblePuppy 😂😂 that gave me a good laugh 😂
that cot sounds amazing! Do you know what the name of it is?
I think I’m just gonna buy one of them mesh rails that can be folded down, and take one side of the cot off to use rail instead.

Yes I think this is what we’re going to do too.x

That’s not safe for a baby so young. Why not use a drop side cot?

They are perfectly safe in the UK and an ideal solution.

We took the side off my little ones cot when he was 11 months, he's now 2 and a half and has only ever fallen out a handful of times and only once has that woken him up! It worked best for us all as it took away the risk of him climbing and falling and he's slept really well since and stays in his bed all night.

My DC are adults now and I couldn't have coped without a drop side cot.

Safe issue with travel cots.

Good reason for DH to do bedtime IMHO

I had this

Does the mattress need to be on lowest setting can you do the middle one?

All my love it fucking hurts

I feel your pain. 5ft nothing here. We have a drop down side cot at home but visiting my parents we don’t. My dad ended up cutting the legs off the cot so I could put her in without dropping her down essentially.

That's a shame, tbh I didn't realise our cot did that when my oldest used it but she was a good sleeper so putting her in wasn't much of a problem. I swapped ds into a toddler bed at about 14 months and was best thing we did, he slept so much better in it and wish I had swapped him over earlier

We’re in Canada where drop side cots are illegal otherwise we would have got one for sure!